Generally, I gravitate to tone-on-tone designs, so I suggested some purple-y ribbons for the dragonfly embroidery. Gayle really wanted the dragonfly to “pop” though, so we went with her first choice, turquoise.

Turquoise and jade gemstone beads are the focal point of this dragonfly embroidery.

I’m so glad we did! I love how this hat turned out. Gayle deserves all the credit.

Have you ever helped create a custom design? Did you enjoy the process? The results? I’d love to know your experience…

Although not generally a “hat person”, Gwen’s blue eyes perfectly match her new felt hat.

I strive to create felt hats as unique as the wearer, so I didn’t want to re-create the exact same hat. Instead, Gayle selected several yarn colors she liked, and gave me her head-size measurements.

As luck would have it, I had a suitable hat, felted & ready for embroidering just waiting in my studio. And in between games at my 1st-ever coed hockey tournament this weekend, I was able to embroider it:

Red-Hot Denim Blues French-knot Mandala Felt Hat (#114 of 2011).

Macro detail of the 100+ french-knots in my new freehand mandala embroidery.

I’m so pleased with how this latest embroidery turned out. Now just cross your fingers that it fits Gayle, since she helped design it!

Lately, I’ve been reading books about Labrador: Woman of Labrador by Elizabeth Goudie, Northern Nurse, and True North by Elliot Merrick being some of my favorites. These memoirs of rugged northern trappers and adventurers from a century ago are fascinating.

Why the sudden interest in Labrador? Well, if you happened to read my 25 Random Things about Me, you know that I’m adopted, and that I was recently found by my birth father.

Who happens to be from Labrador. My Labradad, if you will.

Suddenly, I have a whole new culture to learn about and understand. (Although, having lived in subarctic Alaska for 10 years, I feel like I’ve got a head start!)